News

Ninth International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences: People and Place (ICASS IX)

Call for Sessions - The International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) announces the 9th International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS IX) to be held at the campus of Umeå University, in Umeå, Sweden, from 8-12 June 2017.

ICASS is held every three years, bringing together people from all over the world to share ideas about social science and humanities research in the Arctic.

ICASS VIII, held in May 2014, attracted 470 participants from 27 different countries. IASSA is now seeking proposals for sessions. Please submit them by 23 September 2016 to Gabriella Nordin (). Please include session title, name of session, organizer and complete contact information, and a brief description of the session. General ideas on sessions will also be gratefully accepted.

ICASS IX's theme is People & Place. Research on social sciences and humanities have a great responsibility to address the challenges for sustainable development in the Arctic, with a specific focus on the many different parts of the Arctic and the people that live there. The multiple Arctics have lately been addressed by many policy makers and researchers. The purpose is often to counteract the stereotypic understanding of the Arctic too often represented by icebergs and polar bears. A focus on people and place highlights the many variances across the region in terms of climate, political systems, demography, infrastructure, history, languages, legal systems, land and water resources etc. etc.

We welcome sessions and papers on all facets of the North. And, as always, we also welcome sessions and papers on all other subjects of relevance to our members. We encourage the participation of indigenous peoples, northern residents, decision-makers and politicians, as well as academics, so that ICASS IX provides a rich environment in which to advance discussions on sustainabilities in the North and on other Northern matters.

The Call for Papers will be distributed in Autumn 2016, with a preliminary list of sessions.